Jose Aldo and 4 other top UFC comebacks
The UFC is regarded as one of the toughest testing grounds for professional fighters. It's long been viewed as the world's premier MMA organization.
A harsh truth for athletes competing in the UFC, as is the case with most combat sports and organizations, is that only a select few ascend to the upper echelons and taste world championship glory. Even the ones who do win a UFC title, face the mountainous task of having to defend it against a slew of dangerous challengers.
Furthermore, one of the biggest tenets of the fight game is that time is undefeated. Considering that, fighters who take a hiatus from the UFC find it tough to return to their past glory. However, a few rare MMA greats have indeed managed to make triumphant comebacks after a UFC hiatus.
#5 Jon Jones - UFC heavyweight champion
Jon Jones defended his UFC light heavyweight title via unanimous decision in a closely-contested fight against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247 (February 2020). 'Bones' vacated the light heavyweight belt in August 2020, and didn't compete in the sport of MMA from February 2020 to March 2023. His comeback fight was his heavyweight divisional debut at UFC 285 (March 2023).
In January 2023, then-UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou refrained from re-signing with the UFC. Ngannou was stripped of the heavyweight title and released from the UFC. Speculation abounded that 'Bones' could fight Ciryl Gane for the vacant title, and it rang true.
After around three years away from MMA competition, Jones returned to face former interim UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane for the vacant UFC heavyweight title at UFC 285. The MMA legend put on an incredible display of his grappling abilities and dismantled his critics' predictions about ring rust possibly affecting him.
'Bones' beat Gane via first-round submission (guillotine choke) and captured the UFC heavyweight title. As of this writing, Jones is the reigning UFC heavyweight champion. The 36-year-old American MMA stalwart has been on an injury hiatus since late 2023, but he's expected to return this year (2024) and will likely defend his heavyweight belt against Stipe Miocic.
#4 Brock Lesnar - Former UFC heavyweight champion
In just his fourth MMA bout, former WWE champion Brock Lesnar defeated MMA legend Randy Couture via second-round TKO to win the UFC heavyweight title. The amateur wrestling veteran notched his first successful title defense by besting Frank Mir via second-round TKO in their rematch at the landmark UFC 100 (July 2009) event.
Lesnar was on a collision course with fellow heavyweight behemoth, the then-undefeated Shane Carwin. However, the former WWE superstar was afflicted by diverticulitis, a health disorder of the digestive system. In the meantime, Carwin knocked out Mir to win the interim UFC heavyweight belt at UFC 111 (March 2010).
After a hiatus that lasted around a year, Lesnar returned to defend his UFC heavyweight title against then-interim UFC heavyweight champion Carwin at UFC 116 (July 2010). The latter put a hellacious beatdown on 'The Beast Incarnate' in round one.
Regardless, Lesnar survived and used his wrestling prowess to take Carwin down and stop him with an arm-triangle submission in round two, thereby unifying the UFC heavyweight titles. Lesnar's struggles with diverticulitis continued, and he lost the heavyweight belt to Cain Velasquez in his next fight.
After a defeat against Alastair Overeem, the WWE great retired from MMA. Barring a one-off return to MMA, his controversial fight against Mark Hunt at UFC 200 (July 2016), Lesnar has largely stayed away from MMA competition.
#3 Conor McGregor - Former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion
Conor McGregor is beheld as one of the most unique figures in all of sports and entertainment. The Irishman won the interim UFC featherweight title by defeating Chad Mendes via second-round TKO in July 2015 and captured the undisputed UFC featherweight title by beating Jose Aldo via first-round KO in December 2015.
McGregor defeated Eddie Alvarez via second-round TKO to win the UFC lightweight title in November 2016, becoming the UFC's first simultaneous two-division champion.
However, after losing his crossover boxing match against Floyd Mayweather in August 2017 and losing his MMA return against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in October 2018, some speculated that the Irishman's best days were behind him.
Well, after a lengthy hiatus, 'The Notorious' returned to the octagon at UFC 246 (Jan. 2020). McGregor beat fellow UFC icon Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone via first-round TKO in their welterweight showdown at the event -- dominating the fight with shoulder strikes, kicks, knees, and punches.
The Irishman lost consecutive fights against Dustin Poirier next and has been on an injury break since July 2021. Regardless, McGregor is booked to return against Michael Chandler in a welterweight bout at UFC 303 on June 29, 2024.
#2 Randy Couture - Former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion
Randy Couture is counted among the pioneers of mixed martial arts. Feared for his ferocious grappling and outstanding striking, 'The Natural' is a former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion.
After a knockout defeat in his trilogy light heavyweight matchup against Chuck Liddell in February 2006, Couture announced his retirement from MMA. He returned to the octagon around a year later to face the towering Tim Sylvia at heavyweight at UFC 68 (March 2007).
An early knockdown set the tone for Couture to dominate 'The Maine-iac.' 'The Natural' utilized concise striking and wrestling to score a unanimous decision victory over Sylvia, capturing the UFC heavyweight title, and becoming the oldest fighter to win a UFC title.
Couture successfully defended the belt by beating Gabriel Gonzaga next before dropping the title against Lesnar. The 60-year-old retired fighter is a UFC Hall of Famer and is regarded as one of the best MMA competitors ever.
#1 Jose Aldo - Former UFC featherweight champion
Jose Aldo's 10-year unbeaten run is often spoken of in the same vein as Fedor Emelianenko's decade-long reign of dominance and other similarly magnificent accomplishments in the MMA realm. Aldo is a former WEC and UFC featherweight champion and the consensus greatest featherweight to ever compete in mixed martial arts.
For the past several years, Aldo has been attempting to become a two-division UFC champion by capturing the UFC bantamweight title. It's eluded him thus far. He did compete for the bantamweight belt in July 2020 but fell short against Petr Yan via a fifth-round TKO loss.
Aldo notably suffered a unanimous decision defeat against Merab Dvalishvili in a pivotal bantamweight bout at UFC 278 (Aug. 2022). 'The King of Rio' announced his MMA retirement in September 2022 and subsequently competed in a few boxing matches.
That said, the UFC 301 event, which transpired in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 4, 2024, witnessed Aldo's return after a break of nearly two years. True to his name, 'The King of Rio' dominantly defeated his opponent, Jonathan Martinez, by unanimous decision.
While it was the final fight of Aldo's UFC contract, he suggested that he could re-sign with the UFC and pursue the bantamweight title. Intriguingly, the UFC Hall of Famer is also seemingly open to fighting reigning UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley next. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen.